Well, I finally did it! I now have a notch in the wood bench designating bow #1. It was a very long process. I'd almost say a frustrating process due to the number of staves I went through to get a shootable bow, but it was extremely surprising to me how enjoyable the learning process was. I'd hinge a stave and have to start over, I'd find a crack in another and have to start over, I'd completely make wrong cuts on others and yep, had to start over. But each time it was easy to notch it to the learning process. Luckily I cut enough staves in late fall to produce this one!! (Pictures to follow, I hear everyone here tends to like pictures...
).
This particular bow came from a rather special day. My schedule was amazingly free one Saturday, and my father too, had some time to spare. He and I packed up the Explorer, his Golden Retriever and my Black Lab and went for a drive 45 minutes to our west into the colorful fall colors of the I-90 cooridor over Snoqualmie Pass (Washington State). I take the opportunity on every one of my business trips to the big city of Seattle to scope out a few of the vine maple groves off the highway. We visited one of my most recent finds. It was a fun trip that he and I had.
We harvested several nice staves that day - one in particular was a small 2" diameter "tree". Usually these things grow in bushes of vines - but this one I remember as a lone tree - shooting straight up from its root (again, rather unuasual for the VMs). I didn't think much of it, and passed it by a few times before giving a good look. It had potential, I thought - at least to my very inexperienced novice bowyers-eye... Funny how a tree can look straight and knot free as can be .... until you remove its bark.
Well, we cut this lone tree - and below is the bow she gave back. ((no worries, we cut with thought in mind too - just one or two from each clump in a wide area)) And as for the poor staves that had to endure my trial and error, I've made several trinkets of their after maths
- and the rest of their souls went to heating the shop, keeping my fingers warm.
Well, I fought and fought for a name for this new creation - I had considered using a name to give meaning to that lone standing vine maple, but instead chose one to memorialize that day with my pop. We both treasure days where we can get into the woods together - so the name was made: "A Day with Dad" - works well for me!
Many thanks to Gordon for sharing his how-to with me in public and private messsages, for his build along, and for his continuous encouragement for me to just stay the course. Another round of thanks to the others on this site for their endless and friendly advice. Also to those of you who, along with myself, have been hounding these poor folks for their hard earned information - it has helped us all I'm sure.
(is it just me, or is anyone else envisioning me on stage at the academy awards giving my "thank you" speech
heheh
)
Pictures next!!
